Nos Documents

Euro Foie Gras members were in Strasbourg on 11 and 12 March, to meet MEPs and hold their Board of Directors. These are valuable days for the sector, which continues its commitment to institutions and makes its voice heard successfully.

Ongoing dialogue with MEPs

As part of Euro Foie Gras’ discussions with European decision-makers, discussions focused in particular on the need to ensure clear information for consumers, the challenge of managing the health of avian influenza, but also the sector’s strengths in terms of animal welfare.

The EU: guarantor of the quality of agricultural products

The meetings led by the federation were also an opportunity to welcome the recent adoption of two essential protections for the sector’s emblematic products:

• The marketing standards for poultry meat, which maintain the definition of raw foie gras and duck breast, thus ensuring that consumers are fairly informed.
• The agreement reached between the Council of the EU and the European Parliament on strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain, which protects the words “liver”, “duck” and “goose” from any use by plant products or from cell culture media.

The Europe of foie gras reunited

The Board of Directors of Euro Foie Gras then met. The federation’s strategic orientations for the coming months have been decided; They will be instrumental in protecting and promoting the sector’s products.

The location of the next General Assembly of the federation has also been decided: it will take place in Wallonia, an opportunity for the members of Euro Foie Gras to visit the Sauvenière farm, and the Upignac processing tool.

Thibaut Petit (Upignac): “Belgians are not only producers but also very fond of foie gras, since our compatriots are the ones who consume the most of it per capita after our French neighbours. Belgium is therefore a real country of foie gras, which makes our participation in the efforts of the European federation very relevant. »

Emmanuel Chardat (President of Euro Foie Gras): “The holding of this General Assembly in Belgium is a reminder of the importance of the Belgian component of our federation, a sector that carries the colours of foie gras high with its high-quality products. »

On 17 February 2026, the Delegated Regulation on marketing standards for poultry meat was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. Euro Foie Gras welcomes the adoption of this text, which retains the definitions of raw foie gras and duck breast, in line with the federation’s request throughout the legislative process. Clear and precise rules: to be labelled ‘foie gras’, raw duck foie gras must continue to weigh at least 300g and raw goose foie gras at least 400g; this will guarantee the authenticity and taste qualities of these products as well as ensuring consumer protection.

Meanwhile, on 5 March 2026, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a targeted amendment to the regulation on the Common Market Organisation (CMO). Euro Foie Gras welcomes the inclusion of the term ‘foie’ in the list of designations reserved for products derived solely from meat, as well as the ban on using the designation ‘meat’ for synthetic foods.

Euro Foie Gras welcomes these two developments and will continue its efforts to preserve and promote the sector’s expertise and its products, which are emblematic of European gastronomy.

On 16 October, the members of Euro Foie Gras met in Brussels for their board meeting, at the heart of the European institutions. This strategic meeting enabled the industry to review its priorities and strengthen its commitment to European debates.

A proactive industry on major issues

During the meeting, representatives continued their discussions on European issues, while sharing their progress in animal health and welfare. These exchanges highlighted the industry’s joint communication actions through the European Teach Further programme, in particular the production of a guide to foie gras to promote the quality and history of our exceptional products to consumers.

Dialogue with European institutions

Taking advantage of their presence in Brussels, Euro Foie Gras members met with representatives of the European Commission, Member States and key players in European livestock farming. These regular meetings enable the sector to maintain a constructive dialogue on the legislative and regulatory issues that shape its future.

A Vision for the Future

Euro Foie Gras reaffirms its role as spokesperson for an innovative, sustainable and responsible industry. By remaining attentive to developments in Europe, it intends to continue offering concrete solutions and promoting the specific characteristics of its products with rigour and transparency.

On 5-6 June, representatives from European foie gras-producing countries gathered in Spain for their General Assembly, hosted by Interpalm, the Spanish foie gras interbranch organisation, in celebration of its 15th anniversary. The event provided a valuable platform for discussions on the sector’s economic and health landscape, as well as on joint initiatives to promote European products and culinary heritage.

One year after the European elections and in a context of ongoing regulatory developments, Assembly members reaffirmed their commitment to quality production practices that uphold animal welfare standards.

The federation also engaged in dialogue with key stakeholders from the Spanish agricultural sector, gaining insights into EU support mechanisms and opportunities available to agricultural industries.

Members visited the farm and processing facility of Enrique de Prado, President of Interpalm, offering a concrete illustration of the expertise and quality standards upheld by both the Spanish and broader European foie gras sectors.

“We don’t just produce foie gras: we create value, support rural employment, preserve ancestral know-how and offer a product with a European identity,” said Enrique de Prado.

The General Assembly once again highlighted the vitality and unity of the European foie gras sector. In the face of regulatory, economic, and societal challenges, producers remain committed to promoting responsible, locally rooted production with a strong gastronomic identity.

On 12 March 2025, members of Euro Foie Gras (EFG) travelled to Strasbourg for the European Parliament’s plenary session to meet MEPs. These meetings provided an opportunity to exchange views with a wide range of policy makers on the key issues for the sector that are currently or soon to be debated by the EU institutions. They followed the publication of the Vision for Agriculture and Food, a document in which the European Commission rightly emphasises that ‘livestock farming is and will remain an essential element of agriculture, competitiveness and cohesion in the EU’.

The day following these fascinating and fruitful discussions, the EFG Board of Directors gathered. The meeting allowed national delegations to assess the sector’s sanitary and economic situation, review their successful collaborative efforts to promote foie gras, and plan future activities for the association. The sector notably welcomed the significant increase in production in 2024 and the successful vaccination campaign in France to prevent avian influenza.

On the 8th of October 2024, the members of Euro Foie Gras (EFG) held a series of bilateral meetings in Strasbourg with newly elected Members of the European Parliament during which they met 20 stakeholders. These meetings allowed them to exchange on important issues and were used to put forward the priorities of our sector for this new 5-year term.

Following these productive meetings, EFG members held their Board meeting which was an opportunity for representatives to discuss each national sector’s sanitary and economic situation, as well as their common communication efforts.

Last but not least, Emmanuel Chardat – Director of Strategy and Local Products at Labeyrie Fine Foods – was unanimously elected as the new EFG President. He succeeds Christophe Barrailh whose dedication and exemplary leadership for the past 7 years were praised by all the members.

In his address to the Board, Emmanuel Chardat declared “This new role honours me, I will keep working for the European sector as a whole”.

General Assembly of Euro Foie Gras

Ambition, efficiency and determination: these were the watchwords of the Euro Foie Gras General Assembly which was held in Paris on 14 June 2024, just a few days after the European elections. This new political and legislative era is an opportune time to sketch out the orientations of the European foie gras sector and Euro Foie Gras for the next 5 years and beyond.

Realistic but also ambitious, members had a constructive exchange of views on the short, medium, and long-term strategic action plan that will structure future actions for both the European foie gras sector and the Federation. This plan will be adopted before the summer break.

Opening a new legislative term means closing another one. On this occasion, Christophe Barrailh, President of Euro Foie Gras, expressed his “warmest thanks to those who did not stand for re-election or who were not re-elected, and who have particularly distinguished themselves in recent years by their strong and continuous commitment to the agricultural sector, and in particular the foie gras sector.” The Federation wishes them all the best for the future. The members also stated that it is essential for the agricultural sector, including livestock farming, to be supported by the new political decision-makers given the growing challenges it faces.

Furthermore, Euro Foie Gras’ members were delighted to see that foie gras is still as popular as ever with consumers: the latest Eurostat figures indeed show that almost 120 countries around the world buy this delicacy. And because “everything is good in fat palmipeds”, other products also delight consumers’ taste buds: magret, confit, etc.

The Euro Foie Gras Board meeting, held in Brussels on the 23^rd of April 2024, had a special flavour just before the European elections. Between discussions on current legislative files and reflections on the future of the sector and the Federation, exchanges were rich and fruitful.

Euro Foie Gras’ members started by welcoming the first steps of the EU promotion programme « Teach Further », which will run for 3 years in France, Spain and Belgium. Under the slogan ‘Let’s share Europe’s gastronomic heritage,’ this programme aims to promote and raise awareness about foie gras and its production methods among Millenials.

Despite parliamentary recess until the European elections in June, the sector carried on its work on the subject of transport. The position paper, adopted by the Board members, was presented to several Permanent Representations of Member States. During these meetings, the sector denounced the serious shortcomings and inadequacies of the regulation proposed by the European Commission on the welfare of animals during transport. ‘There is no doubt that this legislative proposal will have very negative social, environmental and economic consequences for our sector,” denounced Christophe Barrailh, President of Euro Foie Gras. The Federation reaffirmed its willingness to discuss this extremely important issue with the future Members of the European Parliament.

This will undoubtedly be part of the strategic action plan that the sector will be adopting over the course of the year. Aware of its strengths and the challenges it faces, the members were able to use their discussion to lay the foundations for this ambitious plan. A date has been set for the Euro Foie Gras General Assembly in Paris mid-June.

Following the publication of its legislative proposal on the protection of animals during transport last December, the European Commission launched a public consultation. The aim was to gather feedback on this proposal in order to feed into the legislative debate between the European Parliament and the Council. Euro Foie Gras contributed with its key messages to this consultation.

Euro Foie Gras recalls that since its creation in 2008, the Federation has been committed to an approach of progress and constant improvement in farming, slaughter, and transportation practices, based on the latest scientific data. However, the Federation is concerned about the negative consequences that the legislative proposal on animal transport, as it stands, will have on the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of the fat palmipeds sector (ducks and geese).

The absence of a sector-specific impact assessment is a major concern for the Federation. Indeed, any legislative development must be supported by a robust impact assessment, developed in consultation with professionals in the sector. Unfortunately, the current proposal imposes new obligations without such prior analysis. Furthermore, many of the provisions are unsuitable for the fat palmipeds sector for technical, environmental, social or health reasons, and are inconsistent with the objectives of the proposal.

Regarding transport duration, the Federation believes that the loading and unloading time should not be included in the maximum transport duration, as this measure could compromise animal welfare by encouraging faster loading/unloading operations and is incompatible with geographical realities. In addition, Euro Foie Gras considers that it is unrealistic to require veterinarian supervision for every loading and unloading of all species, given the current shortage of professionals and the financial impact it would entail.

The current stocking densities for transporting ducks and geese are adapted to their morphology and behavior, thus minimising the risks of injuries during transport caused by the movement of the vehicle. Any increase in the space allowances would increase these risks (broken wings/legs, scratches, etc.) and have negative economic, social, environmental, and road safety consequences. Furthermore, Euro Foie Gras stresses that animals being transported must be kept fasted. This is necessary for health and hygiene reasons.

Regarding digitalisation and new indicators, Euro Foie Gras warns against the practical challenges and additional administrative burden it entails. Uneven internet coverage in rural areas and the associated costs of collecting and recording additional data should not be underestimated.

Regarding the transition periods, we consider that they should only be established at the end of the legislative process, once the consequences of the decisions taken have been analysed. At this stage, it is not possible to envisage a transition to the new proposed requirements.

Are you an agency interested in taking part to the evaluation of a European promotion programme?

CIFOG and Euro Foie Gras organizations are proposing a European communication programme running from 2024 to 2026 across France, Spain and Belgium. It aims to educate the Millennials in order to go beyond the preconceptions towards the Foie Gras product and production. 

Applications must be submitted by the 15th February 2024.